He saw it last spring when Baylor fans turned out in huge numbers to cheer their basketball teams, and he realized there was a depth of passion he perhaps hadn't understood before.

"I knew if we could just give 'em a taste," he said.

And that's the story of Baylor football in 2010. Nothing that happened in the Texas Bowl on Wednesday night could diminish the Bears' remarkable season.

For the record, Illinois beat Baylor 38-14. Also for the record, Briles was mad as a hornet about it.

His Bears blinked on the big stage, turning the ball over twice in the first quarter and going seven possessions without a touchdown.

"It's hard right now," Briles said. "The big picture will take care of itself over the next six months. Anytime you don't get the result that's desired, it doesn't feel good.

"I'm proud of our guys, but now what we've got to do is keep getting better and get to the point where we get into a bowl game and win."

Plenty to celebrate

He'll appreciate this season more in the months ahead, and so will Baylor fans. When Briles arrived in Waco three years ago, there was no reason to believe Baylor ever would be anything other than a doormat in the Big 12.

In 12 previous seasons, the Bears had gone 11-85 against Big 12 teams. To go 4-4 this season, and to win in Austin for the first time in 19 years, was a huge accomplishment.

Baylor also played in a bowl game for the first time in 16 years, and at the end of it there was a swirl of emotion, accomplishment mixed with disappointment.

"I'm pretty happy about the future of Baylor football," senior safety Byron Landor said. "I think we sent it in the right direction."

As Landor walked into the locker room after the game, as he realized he was doing it for the last time, coaches approached him and thanked him for his part in transforming the program.

"If not for that, I'd be crying right now," he said. "But just getting here is not enough."

There's plenty of reason to believe to the future will be even better. Baylor is putting together a third solid recruiting class, ranked 39th nationally by Rivals.com.

The Bears started 10 freshmen or sophomores against Illinois, including quarterback Robert Griffin III, one of the most exciting players in the country. Baylor will have 13 starters back for the 2011 campaign, but the Bears are far from a finished product, ranking 12th nationally on offense and 98th on defense.

But 2010 was a step in the right direction.

"There have been some gratifying moment from the standpoint of our players getting to experience this environment," Briles said. "We're going in the right direction, and that's all you can do."

Steps to success

His next goal is two-fold: to put the finishing touches on this recruiting class and to do his part to get a $175-million stadium built.

Some Baylor officials believe the stadium is critical to surviving the next round of conference realignments. For a few days last summer, Baylor was on the verge of being left by the side of the road.

Briles did his part on the field by leading the Bears to seven victories, their highest win total in 15 years, and by getting them into the Associated Press Top 25 for a time.

Also, Baylor's average attendance of 40,043 was the school's highest since 1995.

"We have taken a step in a positive direction," Briles said. "But now what we've got to do is remember how it feels not to be able to hoist a trophy."